Tips for implementing new programs successfully - Ep65

12/12/21 • 25 min

GUEST: Scott Giacoppo. Scott is the Director of National Shelter Outreach for Best Friends Animal Society and oversees the development of lifesaving efficacy and sustainability for animal welfare partners across the U.S. Prior to Best Friends, Scott was president of NACA – the National Animal Care & Control Association – as well as chief of Animal Field Services for the District of Columbia for 10 years, overseeing all animal control and cruelty investigations team members for Humane Rescue Alliance. He began his animal protection career with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as the Special State Police Officer for Cruelty Investigations.

MAIN QUESTION: What are the common issues you find when doing organizational assessments of animal organizations around the country?

TAKEAWAYS:

The two most common challenges to successfully implementing a program are internal communication and training. Scott shared tips on both:

1. Communication:

Often when leadership decides to pursue a new program, by the time it trickles down to the frontline staff implementing it, the why is lost so staff members revert to doing what they know.
Hold productive meetings that include explaining:
Why the new program works, including a few examples from other places where it has helped and
How the program is to be implemented.
Create a culture of two-way communication, where people are encouraged to ask questions if they don’t understand.

2. Training

Make training a priority. Investing time in training improves performance and increases staff retention.
Schedule time to do it as a group. Watch a webinar together and discuss it, or schedule time to discuss assigned reading material.
Engage staff in how a program is implemented – as this increases their buy in.
For training resources check out the Best Friends Network Partners page – there’s a link in the show notes.

Scott also talked how frequently leaders and managers assume that things are going well and are unaware of issues. He suggested three ways to know what’s actually happening:

Schedule time to routinely get out of your office and walk around and observe how things are being done and talk with your team.
Plan an annual assessment – this could be a self-assessment or one conducted by consultants.
Secret shopping your shelter: Call your own organization and ask a question to see how well (or not so well) your staff is doing helping people. Send a friend in to adopt a pet and have them tell you about the experience.

LINKS:

Best Friends Network

Leadership recommendations: "The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong" (TED Talk video and blog post)

MAIN QUESTION: What are the common issues you find when doing organizational assessments of animal organizations around the country?

TAKEAWAYS:

The two most common challenges to successfully implementing a program are internal communication and training. Scott shared tips on both:

1. Communication:

Often when leadership decides to pursue a new program, by the time it trickles down to the frontline staff implementing it, the why is lost so staff members revert to doing what they know.
Hold productive meetings that include explaining:
Why the new program works, including a few examples from other places where it has helped and
How the program is to be implemented.
Create a culture of two-way communication, where people are encouraged to ask questions if they don’t understand.

2. Training

Make training a priority. Investing time in training improves performance and increases staff retention.
Schedule time to do it as a group. Watch a webinar together and discuss it, or schedule time to discuss assigned reading material.
Engage staff in how a program is implemented – as this increases their buy in.
For training resources check out the Best Friends Network Partners page – there’s a link in the show notes.

Scott also talked how frequently leaders and managers assume that things are going well and are unaware of issues. He suggested three ways to know what’s actually happening:

Schedule time to routinely get out of your office and walk around and observe how things are being done and talk with your team.
Plan an annual assessment – this could be a self-assessment or one conducted by consultants.
Secret shopping your shelter: Call your own organization and ask a question to see how well (or not so well) your staff is doing helping people. Send a friend in to adopt a pet and have them tell you about the experience.

LINKS:

Best Friends Network

Leadership recommendations: "The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong" (TED Talk video and blog post)

Previous Episode

A tech solution for tracking community calls better - Ep64

GUEST: Chris Roy. Chris is a technology guy by day, and the founder of Doobert at night and on weekends. Doobert helps you help animals and is the only software that organizes transport, and the only foster management platform allowing you to send and receive texts with fosters. And Chris has continued to build out Doobert and recently added a new case management module.

MAIN QUESTION: How does Doobert's new Companion Case Management module improve communications with the public?

TAKEAWAYS:

As animal organizations increasingly focus on becoming resource centers rather than primarily as repositories for animals, it is especially important that we have effective ways to manage communications with the public.
A good tracking system is needed in order to make sure cases don’t fall through the cracks. Follow-up and trustworthiness are essential to building good community relations.
Doobert.com has a new Companion Case Management module specifically designed for animal organizations to help them keep better track of public interactions and to effectively collaborate with other organizations in the community.
- For example, you can assign tasks to specific people and even other organizations, set up automated follow-ups with people seeking help, view cases on a map, and view only tasks assigned to yourself.
You can create a case to see how it works with a free Doobert account or request a demo for your organization through Doobert.com.

LINKS:

Doobert.com
Leadership recommendation: “Tips for Encouraging Teamwork in the Workplace and Getting People Out of Silos" by Humane Network (article)

Next Episode

How to find help for your animal organization - Ep66

GUEST: Brent Toellner. Brent is the Senior Director of National Programs for Best Friends Animal Society. Prior to joining Best Friends, Brent, his wife, Michelle, and a few others co-founded the Kansas City Pet Project to run the municipal shelter in Kansas City, Missouri.

MAIN QUESTION: There's a lot of pressure in animal welfare and people can feel alone in their work — what tips and ideas might help?

TAKEAWAYS:

In animal welfare, we’re pushed to do more with limited resources. People often feel they just need to work harder and do more programs, but that doesn’t work in the long-term. It’s better to reach out for help.
Someone on the outside can often provide needed perspective. By being a sounding board, they can give you a sense of confidence and make you feel less isolated. You can find this help by creating or developing relationships with your peers at similar organizations. In addition to making connections within the field, people working at similar types of agencies within your own community can also be helpful. Consultants and representatives of national organizations with outreach teams can also be valuable.
One sign you need help is if you're feeling stressed that you can never get on top of what’s needed or if you know things need to change but you don’t know how to do it with your existing resources.
Consider an organizational assessment that looks at what’s going well and that you should keep doing and what is not the best use of resources now.

LINKS: